MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK / MIKE DiGIOVANNA : Reliever Dave Tellers Decides to Put Street Hockey Career on Ice

Unlike Roger Clemens and Will Clark, there is nothing in Dave Tellers’ contract that says he can’t play hockey.

Just don’t tell anyone in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization that one of their all-star pitchers spent last winter swatting away slap shots and breaking up fights in an Anaheim street hockey league.

“I don’t think they’d want me to do that,” said Tellers, a former Western High School, Rancho Santiago College and San Jose State pitcher who is now a reliever with the Salem (Va.) Buccaneers of the Carolina League.

But the Pirates shouldn’t worry. Tellers, who has a 6-3 record, 1.47 earned-run average and seven saves, survived the winter and said he probably won’t play hockey in the future.

“I think I’ll stick with baseball,” he said.

Hockey was fun while it lasted, though. Tellers and some friends put together a team called the Kings and played in an eight-team, roller-blade league from December to March. Players wore full hockey regalia--helmets, jerseys, shoulder pads and gloves.

It wasn’t exactly NHL-caliber hockey, but there were some similarities.

“Occasionally guys dropped the gloves and went at it, and there was some heavy hitting,” said Tellers, who played goalie.

“I wasn’t in on any fights, but sometimes when guys had break-aways, they’d shoot, I’d make the save and they’d crash into me. I’d get hammered into the net, but I had a lot of padding on and was pretty safe.”

Tellers said his experience in goal has improved his defense.

“I think it helped my reaction time, because hockey shots are like come-backers to the mound,” he said. “I’m sure one of these days I’ll get a come-backer and make a kick-save.”

Add Tellers: As he did in high school, community college and college, Tellers feels he has to prove himself every time he takes the mound. Tellers is 5-feet-10, 175 pounds and doesn’t possess the world’s greatest fastball.

“I’ve got to earn respect,” he said.

It appears he has. After being converted from a starter to reliever, Tellers led the Class-A Welland (Ont.) Pirates in ERA (1.36) last season and had a 4-2 record with five saves.

He’s the closer for Salem this season, and in 61 1/3 innings, has struck out 48 and walked only 17. He was selected to play in the Carolina League All-Star game July 24.

“They told me when they drafted me that my future would be in some type of relief role,” said Tellers, a 23-year-old who relies on a split-fingered fastball, slider and changeup. “That was fine with me. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Smooth move: The switch from aluminum to wood bats often makes the transition from high school or college ball to the minor leagues difficult, but Mike Edwards must be wondering: What’s so tough about it?

In his first 26 games with the Butte Copper Kings, the Texas Rangers’ rookie-league affiliate in the Pioneer League, Edwards, a third baseman, is batting .383 with 16 RBIs.

“I’ve got a whole lot to fall in so far, so I’ve been pretty lucky,” said Edwards, a former football and baseball standout at Valencia High. “But I don’t think it’s all luck. I’ve been taking extra batting practice almost every day.”

Edwards, who went to Utah on a football scholarship but quit after two years to concentrate on baseball, was a 13th-round pick in the recent June draft.

He redshirted his first football season and saw considerable action his second season, starting six games and recording 65 tackles from his free safety position.

But he has no regrets about quitting football, especially after hitting .456 with 17 homers and 62 RBIs and earning All-American, second-team honors in 1991.

“It was a tough decision at the time, but it was a good one,” Edwards said. “I was a good football player, but I would have never reached the NFL.”

Add Tucson/Houston: Last Thursday morning, former Esperanza High standout Mike Simms, a Tucson Toro first baseman, joined the team for a flight to Colorado Springs.

But when the plane stopped in Phoenix, Simms learned he had been called up to the majors. Simms then flew to Chicago to join the Astros, while his former triple-A teammates continued to Colorado Springs.

Simms, who was batting .248 with 15 home runs and 59 RBIs at Tucson, is hitless in three plate appearances for Houston.